Houston Co. football celebrates signings of linebacker Taisler, lineman Robinet

Houston County High had two sign on National Signing Day Wednesday. Zach Taisler is headed to Kennesaw State University and Steven Robinet is bound for Middle Tennessee State University.

“He is one of the most physical players I’ve ever coached,” said head coach Von Lassiter of Taisler, a linebacker who was also a team captain, named Most Outstanding Linebacker and first team All-Region 2-AAAAA this past season. “He’s a guy that’s going to really get off blocks and make tackles and run to the football. He fought through a lot of injuries that made him even tougher as the years went on. If there was a guy we needed to make a play, we knew he’d be the one to make it.”

Up until his junior year, Lassiter added that Taisler played on offense – quarterback. “We knew immediately when we saw him,” he said, “he could run and hit. Which is a good attribute for a linebacker, so we moved him to full-time defense and he excelled immediately.”

Taisler, who spent his middle school years in Lowndes County, finished his last two years with 121 tackles.

He said he chose Kennesaw because: “It just felt like home.” His plan, he said, is to major in nursing. The biggest adjustment he sees: “Getting used to the speed at that level. It’s something I’ll have to adjust to, but I don’t think I’ll have a problem with it.”

Lassiter said he first came to know of Robinet via an email from his coach – Robinet was in Korea at the time.

“He said, ‘My best player is going to be moved to your school’,” said Lassiter. “We get that kind of thing all the time and you’re like: ‘O.K. Yeah. Whatever.’ But he kind of kept on and I finally got to meet Steve for the first time when he moved here I was like, ‘This is not a normal move in. This kid looks like he can play. He’s big. He’s strong. He’s exactly what we’re looking for here.’

“So his coach in Korea was right (and) we were thankful he moved here.”

Robinet, Lassiter said, played on both sides of the ball, and handled long snapping duties, until he suffered a knee injury. “After that he settled into offensive line and long snapping and (overall) made a big impact on us.”

He, only first taking up football in his freshman year, was also a first team All-Region, first team All-Middle Georgia and Georgia Sports Writers Association honorable mention. He was also named Most Outstanding Linebacker by his peers.

He said he chose Middle Tennessee because it had a flight program.

“It’s kind of rare to see those two (flight program and football) at the same school,” he said. “I was already pursuing that (to one day be an airline pilot), so it was the best choice.”

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